Heys Travelmate Sling Bag

Heys is a travel gear and luggage company best known for its very hard but lightweight rolling suitcases---those colorful ones you see whizzing by you in the airport. But they also make a lot of practical travel accessories and bags that aren't hard-sided, including this cool little Travelmate bag that slings over your shoulder.

Think of it as a miniature daypack, a travel purse, a hands-free travel carrier for dads, or a man purse, but the idea is that you can stow what you need in a small bag that doesn't get in the way. It's smaller than a backpack or messenger bag, but large enough to hold the essentials. In my test I managed to fit in the following: trade paperback, notebook, camera, passport, snacks, cell phone, pens, lip balm, and my Chargepod. There's a zippered mesh pocket on the side that will hold a small water bottle.

The Heys Travelmate stays snug against your body so your hands are free---especially helpful if you're trying to keep track of a toddler or push a stroller. If you're not traveling on business and you're on an airline that doesn't sock you for baggage fees, you could check your suitcase and complete the whole trip with just this bag. Then on the other end, it would do the trick for your days of sightseeing.

I have no complaints about the bag itself: it's rugged, well-made, and has lots of pockets for keeping things separated, including one on the front that's handy for things you need to get at often, like money and an ID. The flap on the front is attached with velcro, so you can open it with one hand. One inside pocket is clear and waterproof: handy if you're carrying cosmetics that could leak.

Two of the three accessories that come with it are a different story though and should have just been left out. There's a cheap LED flashlight that was already dead in the model I received and a mirror that's about as clear as a piece of tin foil. The included travel wallet is nice though: the kind that hangs around your neck and goes under your shirt---handy in places where pickpockets could be working the crowd. (The bag itself would be pretty hard to snatch too; it would have to be slashed.)

The regular line of Heys Travelmate bags includes models in 14 different colors, from subdued to very bright. There's also an "exotic" line with zebra and leopard prints or the houndstooth one pictured here. Some of the shades and patterns are too feminine for guys, but there's plenty to choose from.

These bags generally retail for $23 to $30, so they're a good value. They're available in some retail luggage stores. Find out more online or go shopping:

Heys Canada
Heys USA

Solid colors at Amazon
Exotic line at Amazon

A Bracelet That Could Save Your Life

Imagine you could wear something around your wrist that could save your life. Imagine that instead of some woven backpacker bracelet you won in a backgammon game in Dahab or that you bought in Panajachel for 25 cents, you wear a bracelet woven from 18 feet of super-strong parachute cord. How cool is that?

OK, so you've got to spend $19 on it unless you have the time and concentration to weave one yourself, but if it gets you out of a jam, that's a pretty cheap insurance policy. Plus it makes a cool conversation piece. That's the idea behind the paracord survival bracelets from SurvivalStraps.com.

Normally this is where I tell you how the gear item worked in practice, but thankfully I haven't needed to rappel down a cliff or spend the night tied to a couple of tree branches. So here's the rundown from the company:

In an emergency situation, you can unravel the bracelet and deploy the paracord for use. If you do use your Survival Bracelet, simply send what is left back to us, along with your story, and we will make you a new one, free of charge (shipping charges will apply).

Whether you are in the woods, stranded on an island, at the range, or running errands around town, you will always have several feet of 550 lb. test paracord with you at all times. Oh yeah, we also think they look pretty great! And since they come in almost 900 different color combinations, you shouldn't have a problem finding something you like! (Check out the colors tab to view our standard color choices.) They come with either a tough plastic side release buckle or a marine grade stainless steel shackle for attachment purposes.

So if you actually have to use it for its intended purpose, they will send you a new one. How many time do you see a guarantee like that? The company also makes belts, lanyards, watch straps, and more. See the whole line at SurvivalStraps.com.

Travel Gear on the Wish Lists

Every once in a while I pull up the stats on this travel gear blog to see which posts are really getting checked out by the most readers. Which gear items are people researching and drooling over? (Okay, so maybe "drooling over" is the wrong phrase to use when talking about travel underwear, but hey, you like it a lot better if someone else spends $20 on it instead of you, right?) Since I'm on deadline for some magazine articles due this week, I've been taking a break from the travel gear tests. So here are the most popular posts over the past month:

Pacsafe's theft-proof travel bag. This post is two years old and is the most popular, so apparently lots of travelers are looking for a good slash-proof bag for walking around town. This one is highly recommended.

Quick-dry travel underwear from ExOfficio. Save money on the road with sink laundering and have dry undies in the morning.

Portable room safe. Apparently I'm not the only one who wonders how to keep valuables secure in a cheap hotel.

Are packing cubes worthwhile? Apparently a lot of people are pondering a purchase of these organizing aids.

The best backpacks for travelers. Your most important gear item for long-term travel.

Timex rugged Field Expedition watch. This was what I took with me trekking in Peru this past December. Great watch for a reasonable price.

Travel adapter, converter, and USB charger. This is a handy item that does double duty. I used it in Europe a few months back and was very happy with it.

Lightwedge innovative reading light. This one surprised me as I reviewed this way back in the summer of 2007. This book light takes some getting used to, but some people love it.

Gear Advice from Around the Web

I'm going to step back from the mic today and point to a few worthy travel gear posts I've come across lately from elsewhere.

First, Beth Whitman discusses the thorny issues involved in picking out a travel adapter. For some good specific choices, check out this travel adapter round-up I did for Tibesti.com. I especially like the Travelon one with a built-in converter. I've used it successfully on a few trips now.

One of the Traveling Mamas has a great post on how to avoid those pesky travel illnesses. I especially like the Earplanes. Besides the catchy name, they solve a common problem and they're only $6.95 at Amazon.

Here's another reminder why you should never put anything valuable into your checked luggage. (Well, unless it's a bottle of duty free liquor since you've got no choice.) Gadling notes that two thieves employed at Portland's airport made off with more than 200 items stolen from passenger bags, including laptops. Who checks a laptop?

Fresh off my recent complaining about cell phone charger non-standardization, Dan Tynan looks at how the cell phone companies are waking up to their environmentally unconscious ways, sorta.

Portable Room Safe for Travelers

With the Travelsafe100 from Pacsafe, you can forget about maids with sticky fingers.

When I was in a big foreign city recently on a travel writing assignment, two women sitting beside me in the lobby of a Sheraton hotel were filling out a police report. They had put some things in their safe but forgot to lock it before leaving the room. When they came back from dinner, their money and jewelry were gone. I've usually managed to hold onto my valuables when traveling, but when I stayed at a very nice Hyatt on assignment in a different country, my wife's watch got stolen from the bathroom counter. Once while sleeping in a hostel in Singapore, another backpacker stole my camera during the night.

In general I think electronic safes in hotels are pretty reliable, but if you forget your code someone can always open it, right? So that means at least some employees really can get in it if they want to badly enough. Plus in many cheaper hotels, you either need to leave things up front in a shared safe or take your chances unless a locker is supplied.

This portable safe from Pacsafe will keep your valuables safe in any hotel or hostel and will also serve as a secondary stash while on the move. It's basically a pouch with slash-proof steel mesh, a locking cinch cable at the top, and a padlock with a key. You just secure it to any fixed or hard-to-move item like a pole or large piece of furniture. Then it would take a pair of bolt-cutters to get at your things. So you could also use this to secure items on a bus or train while you are trying to snooze, resting easier than you would if your camera and iPod were just zipped up in your daypack. (Unless you have a daypack from the same company that is.)

I've tried out a lot of different items from Pacsafe and have been impressed with their strength and durability. They keep the practicality in mind too though: this portable safe can be rolled up and held that way by an included piec of elastic or a rubber band if you lose that. So it's not all that hard to make space for it in your pack or suitcase. (There's a video demo at this link that shows you how it works.)

The Travelsafe100 lists for $45, but you can get it for a shade less at these retailers:

Pacsafe TravelSafe 100 at Backcountry.com


TravelSafe 100 at Buy.com


Get it at REI

Fashionable B100 Laptop Backpack from Pacsafe

With the Meshsafe B100 laptop backpack from Pacsafe, you can walk around town with the confidence that your valuables are secure.

I was just in Mexico City for 10 days and after having it drilled into my head that it was a dangerous city, I thought I should play it safe with the backpack holding my computer. I have a very small laptop from Fujitsu though, in a size that would now be called a netbook. So I don't need something really large like the Daysafe 200 (with removable "safe") that I reviewed this past summer.

This B100 is a lot slimmer and, I must say, quite a bit more striking. I fit right in with the hipsters at Condesa DF Hotel in Mexico City and with a glow strip on the side, the nutso drivers could see me crossing the street at night.

As with most Pacsafe products though, it's what's going on behind the scenes that sets them apart. Anybody can make a fashionable laptop bag, but can they make it slashproof, snatchproof, and tamperproof? No, I don't think so.

This laptop daypack really is all that, so you can waltz through a crowded market with no worries about someone slashing the bottom of your bag open. the heavy-duty zippers can be clamped shut with a hook. You can clip a hook to a piece of clothing for more security. Plus there's a cool outside pocket for your cell phone that has a hidden cinch strap under the flap. If someone just tries to yank the flap, they can't get to the phone. (This feature makes the strap look a little dorky because the phone is right by your head, but it's removable and at least this way you do hear the phone ring.)

It's not just tough fabric making the bag slashproof. There is stainless steel wire embedded in the shoulder straps and steel wire mesh between layers of fabric in the bag itself.

I also like the practical side of this bag. It has a squishy and comfortable handle on the top (which you can see in the top photo) so you can just carry the thing easily when your shoulder gets tired or you're carrying several bags. Plus when you set it on the ground, it sits there upright. It doesn't fall over. Two simple things, but they make your travel life much easier.

The Pacsafe B100 fits laptops up to 13 inches. It's got all the gizmo, gadget, and pen pockets you would expect, plus a zip-out water bottle holder on one side and an umbrella holder on the other. Its slim profile means you can't stuff it with five books and a wad of magazines. but you can easily fit in enough to get you through a couple flights or a day of sightseeing. See the full specs at the Pacsafe site.


Check prices for Pacsafe at laptop backpacks at eBags.com

Parrot Minikit Chic for Hands-free Dialing

When you're driving in your car, talking on a cell phone can be distracting. When you start dialing numbers with your fingers while you are driving, you become downright hazardous.

In some states (and countries) you could get a hefty ticket for dialing while driving, in others it's just not very smart. Enter the Parrot Minikit Bluetooth device. With this clipped to your visor, you can dial away and chat away without ever touching your actual phone.

I normally shy away from the most geeky travel gadgets, but this one is truly practical. It also does exactly what it's supposed to do, without requiring hours consulting a manual. You just sync it up with your Bluetooth-capable phone (easy), clip it to your car visor, and start using it. When someone calls, you touch one button and start talking. Press the same button when you're done. The manual is only six pages long.

Here's the really cool part though: its software "reads" all the contacts in your phone and when you just say that person's name, the device dials it for you. On a four-hour road trip I made a series of calls with no hitches. When I first turned it on, the Minikit asked, "Who would you like to call?"

I replied, "Mom," A few seconds later, I was chatting away with my mother. I tried my wife, my dad, and a couple names--one being a rather odd foreign one that the Minikit nevertheless picked up on and dialed. You can specify which number to dial if you have more than one for that contact, such as "Paul mobile" or "Cindy home."

The only real drawback is the sound quality on the other end. Like most speaker phones, the device picks up a lot of extraneous car noise, so it's not as good as say, a Jawbone that has a built-in filter. The person talking to me sounded fine though.

The Parrot Minikit plugs into a car charger to recharge. The regular Minikit looks like a small science fiction spaceship model, but I tried out the Chic version, which lives up to its name. It's fashionable enough to get some, "What's THAT?" questions from passengers and is far more minimalist than most of these nerdy devices. There is no visible speaker: a vibrating panel of the device itself supplies the sound. It lists for $110, but goes for less at a lot of outlets. Very cool, very useful, and yes, practical.

Get it at Amazon

Be Seen at Night With Illuminite Clothing

I've been wandering the streets of my neighborhood at night this past week wearing black, but I have not been hard to see. No, it's not a tease from the Riddler, it's reflective clothing from IllumiNITE.

There's nothing new about reflective clothing of course. Highway workers have donned it for decades and every night I see someone jogging around with some kind of reflective orange vest on. This line of clothing is different though: it actually looks good. There are no random stripes of tape or big logos that might as well say "Look at me, I'm a runner!"

This clothing is cool because the designers looked at things from a different angle. The reflective parts are around the outside of your body instead of the middle of your chest and back, so everyone behind the wheel can recognize that you are a moving human and not a road sign. Plus the reflective part is built into the design instead of being an obvious add-on. There are solid sections that look normal by day but act like a collection of tiny mirrors at night, or dots that just appear to be normal design elements until the headlights hit them. You may feel like a superhero getting ready to save the world when you put on one of these pieces, but you won't feel like a dork.

I've been trying out a illumiNITE thermaGARD Early Riser fleece (pictured here). It performs as it should and then some. Nice locking zippers, a comfy fleece liner, a good fit, and a sleeve pocket for a (small) MP3 player. It's lightweight, breathable, wicking, and downright cozy.

When I've not been wondering what's wrong with the caps lock on the keyboards in their marketing department, I've been thinking of how useful this would be as the go-to fleece on a long trip. It may, for example, reduce the number of times you are almost run over by a tuk-tuk in Thailand or an auto rickshaw in India. It would be good for nighttime walking along the street in Latin American cities, where the sidewalks are only about as wide as your two shoes. It would be good for one of those "we will leave camp at 3 a.m." hiking trips where you're trying to keep track of each other with voices and flashlights.


So, while this stuff is mainly marketed to cyclists and runners, it might make you safer as you travel the world as well -- while still keeping you looking good. They make waterproof jackets, caps, t-shirts, and much more. You can get the background and specs on the illuminate.com website, but considering they have "See our 2007 collection" on the front page and it's mid-October of '08 as I write this, you should go elsewhere to buy the latest models.

Click on that women's jacket to the left or here to go to REI, where there's a big selection in lots of colors and styles.

Or you can find this line in a lot of good retail shops catering to cyclists.

Classy Money Belt and Money Sock

It's important to keep your cash tucked away when you travel. You should assume that there is always someone around wanting to separate you from your money. After all, people even get pickpocketed in the Vatican on a regular basis.

Many money belts and pouches out there are suited better to backpackers and adventure travelers though than to someone trying to do business abroad. I take the Eagle Creek All Terrain money belt I reviewed earlier with me on almost every trip and like it, but it requires dressing down, not up.

The leather belt from the National Geographic Store pictured here is a different story. You'll have to cough up $48 for it (click the picture to check it out), but it'll work with a pair of dress pants or a pair of jeans equally well. Magellan's sells a similar leather money belt for around $30, with both coming in black or brown and a range of sizes. The descriptions say you can stuff $1,500 in one of these, but I'm not sure why anyone would need to carry that much cash around and if you only put in one layer of bills they hold 5 hundreds.


I also like these money socks because it takes the old idea of hiding money in your shoe and makes it simpler and cleaner. You have to buy these in sets of three for $30, and they're really nothing special in terms of the socks themselves, but an extra layer of protection. There's a zippered pouch at the top of the sock and it's big enough to hold your credit card(s) as well. Alas, you'd better have normal feet: one size fits all. These also require being in a place where you're going to wear pants all the time, so no dresses/flats or shorts and flip-flops.

Upek Eikon Fingerprint Reader for Flashpackers

Most of the travel gear reviews on this blog are for devices and gadgets most anyone could have a need for, but this Eikon to Go gadget from Upek is another story. It is a little larger than a regular USB drive, with a sliding cover over a reader for your fingerprint. Consider it a device to keep anyone else from using your laptop, or getting at your data, or logging onto sites where you've stored passwords. It's like a faceplate for your car stereo: after Eikon reader is set up, your laptop needs your fingerprint to do its thing.

After you pop this device out of its clamshell packaging, you hook it up to your PC or Mac and follow the wizard instructions to "enroll" yours---as in getting your fingerprints scanned and having those prints converted to encrypted mathmatical formulas. Then a "biomenu" appears that lets you decide how many of the possible features you want to use.

The features range from a simple lock/unlock function to locking specific folders to loads of password application and storage options. The most useful feature for many people will be the password bank. With this you surf around your usual sites and when you log in, you can register that site with a swipe of the finger. From now on, you swipe your finger each time you visit (or choose the site from the secure menu) instead of remembering all the passwords.

There are plenty more "gee-whiz" features that some may find useful---like the ability to assign different finger swipes to different applications. (I can think of a few that I would like to assign to the middle finger of my right hand...)

If two of you are sharing a laptop on the road, no problem. With a non-corporate version of XP or Vista, a different finger swipe will bring up the account of a different user automatically.

All this may be overkill if your laptop is mostly filled with photos, G-rated video, and some documents. It is aimed more at corporate travelers looking for an alternative to baffling password trees enacted by the IT department. If you're carrying around anything sensitive, however---and you don't often lose things that are the size of a thumb drive---this could provide some peace of mind on the road.

Although the Eikon to Go launched in April, apart from the Apple stores the retail launch of this thing seems to be taking a while. Check the Upek site for updates on where to find it.

Solar and Crank Radio Flashlight

I do more traveling than camping, but this past weekend I got out of the city and went on a fun canoe and camping trip with a bunch of friends. I got to use some of the gear I've reviewed before, including the mini candle lantern (nice), my shake flashlight (awesome), and even a spork.

This combo solar radio and crank flashlight from Gaiam.compictured here has been sitting in my basement in case a tornado hit, but I finally got to toss it into the car and get some use out of it. This item goes beyond "double duty," with a flashlight, flashing signal light, and radio. It can be powered by an A/C adapter, but that seems to defeat the purpose when you've already got a crank and a solar panel. I stuck it out in the sun for a while and then cranked it for half a minute for good measure. We used the flashlight all night without having to recrank it. The claim is that it will run 25 hours on a full charge.

The AM/FM radio sound could have been better in something that lists for $50 it seems: it sounds like your basic cheap transistor radio with a tuner that seems to drift off signal quite easily. Don't try to find a station when your hand is shaking. The whole thing is surprisingly light though, so there's the tradeoff.

The radio is good enough to provide some tunes without being plugged in though and you don't have to worry about the batteries giving out. When you're not using it, this item can also provide some peace of mind. Keep it in the trunk of your car or in your house and you know that no matter what happens to the power supply during a storm or a breakdown, you've got a light, a signal, and a way to hear the news.

By the way, this is post #200 on this travel gear blog. To catch all the new reviews, subscribe here.

Timex Expedition E-compass Titanium Watch

The Timex Expedition line of watches is a favorite with adventurers and casual travelers alike. They're rugged and comfortable, yet are priced at a level that's affordable to most anyone. You won't get in a fight with a mugger to hold onto your watch and you don't have to worry about being a theft target.

This E-compass Titanium version has been on my wrist the past few weeks--without getting in the way. It has a wide, easy-to-read face, but is slim and attractive, with a black watch face on the inside and metal hands with glow-in-the-dark accents. It has the Indiglo function too, which means you can check the time in complete darkness, whether that's while hiking through the forest or checking how long the damn commercials have been running while you sit in the movie theater.

The defining feature of this particular model is the electronic compass, which is nifty but not something to bet your life on. If you just need to know which general direction is north or south it works fine. The watch instructions come with some rather complicated steps for calibrating it to "true north" but it takes a lot of tweaking. Plus there's a warning not to calibrate it or use it around electronics, so I had to walk out into the middle of my yard to set it up. Still, even without tweaking it should get you out of the woods or tell you if you're walking in the wrong direction in a city, which is enough for most needs. The compass only comes on when you press a button too, so it's not whirling around all day as you walk down the sidewalk.

The "titanium" in the name comes from the bevel part of the case, which is crafted from this very tough metal and seems quite resistant to scratches and bangs. It is also water resistant to 100 meters/300 feet, so you can wear it into the pool or on a rainy hike with no fear of it fogging up. Battery life is estimated at three years. There's also a second hand and a date function, but refreshingly it stops there. You only need to get to know two buttons.

The Timex Expedition E-compass Titanium watch lists for $175, but you can generally find it for sale in the $130 to $150 range. Try here, for example:

Timex T49211dh Expedition E-compass Mens Watch at Buy.com

DaySafe 200 Theft-proof Laptop Daypack

There are a few different ways to guard against theft loss while traveling. Some solutions just require some common sense (leave the Rolex at home, don't travel with gear you can't afford to lose), while other solutions are technical ones where the right travel gear can make a difference.

In the latter category is this cool DaySafe 200 "secure computer backpack" from Pacsafe, the makers of the MetroSafe 200 bag I reviewed last year. If you've got your laptop and other electronics in this backpack, a thief is going to have a really tough time getting it from you. Here's what's built in to deter them:

* Lock and leave eXomesh built into the construction. It's slashproof, snatchproof, and tamperproof.

* Slashproof adjustable shoulder straps

* Snatchproof shoulder strap allows the bag to anchor to a secure fixture

* Tamperproof zippers

Most thefts occur from a plain snatch & grab, by slashing the bottom of your pack with a knife, by cutting a strap to make it slip off your shoulder, or by getting inside a locked pack by cutting the zippers. This bag thwarts all those attempts, even providing a little buckle that can fasten the bag to a belt loop while you're on the move.

Besides all that, it looks like a plain old daypack, which is a theft deterrent in itself. Are you carrying a $2000 laptop, or just a cheap camera and a Lonely Planet guide? Nobody can tell since the bag doesn't scream, "I have a laptop!"

The only drawback to all this is the bag is clearly heavier and bulkier than the cheaper laptop backpacks like the eBags one I've been using for years. For a good reason though, as there's far more padding, the laptop sleeve is removable, and the hardware is much stronger all around. There are two large mesh pockets on the side for water bottles, the usual array of pockets accessed from the front, and another hidden pocket at the top. There's a strong handle at the top for carrying the daypack by hand.

One interesting feature of this bag is that you can remove the inner exomesh compartment and leave it in the room as a separate permanent safe. You use the included padlock with a key and the attached cable to lock the whole slashproof inner bag to a permanent structure. Then you can take the daypack with you for sightseeing.

Think of the Daysafe 200 as a portable safe and insurance policy and you'll feel better about spending the $180 to $200 it retails for. This bag will keep your valuables in your possession wherever you are and as the company's tag line says, "When your gear's secure, you can do more."

See all the specs at the Pacsafe site.

Get the DaySafe 200 at Amazon

Search prices for the Daysafe 200

Keeping Track of Your Kid in a Crowd

It's kind of ironic, but most of the places you end up taking your kids on vacation are the places where it is easiest to lose them in a crowd: amusement parks, water parks, sports events, festivals, ski resorts, airports, and on and on. Add to that the fact that kids aren't opposed to just wandering off to follow the balloon man or someone dressed in a furry costume and it can be trouble.

Short of putting them on a leash (which makes me cringe when in see it), how do you keep the little ones from getting lost? And what about their stuff?

One company that has spent a lot of time on this question is Stuck on You. Their Stick with Me wristbands are better versions of the ones you get at an all-inclusive resort, with bright colors and kid-friendly icons (ladybugs, dinosaurs, flying saucers). They have a space for writing after "My name is" and another one after "If I am lost please call..." The idea is, you write the vitals, pop one on their wrist, and you've got some peace of mind if you get separated.
Stuck on You also helps you find your kids' bags, with colorful and fun luggage tags that your little ones will want to watch for on the carousel. Plus you can order matching stickers for their water bottle, and shoes. (Don't laugh--been to an indoor playground lately?) See more at the Stuck on You website.

I've also been trying out some Tattoos with a Purpose. These are kind of goofy---a temporary tattoo on your kid's arm that has a place for your cell phone number---but my daughter thought they were pretty cool. They come in all kinds of designs that will make the girls and the boys happy: dogs, rockets, butterflies, hearts, dinosaurs, and horses with pink manes. They're FDA-approved to no hurt any sensitive skin. They're also water resistant, so they'll work in a water park.

The pack of temporary tattoos comes with its own pen and some alcohol wipes for $10. See more at tattooswithapurpose.com.

Double-duty Sunscreen and Bug Repellant from SmartShield

Right now I'm sweating my way across Honduras, battling sand flies in Roatan and determined mosquitoes in Pico Bonito National Park. All the while, the intense tropical sun is set on "full blast."

In other words, a great time to try out these SmartShield towelettes, which are designed to protect you with both sunscreen and natural bug repellant.

I have one main criteria when reviewing products like this. Do they do what they promise? In this case, I didn't get any bugbites and I don't have any bright red splotches of sunburn, so they towelettes passed the test. I slathered on once before walking around various beaches on Roatan and before an hour-long hike through the tropical forest in the interior.

I'm not sure I would trust the stuff on my arms and legs to last all day though. The bug replellant is DEET-free, which means cedar bark extract and lemongrass. Smells nice, but not known to protect for hours on end. The sunscreen is SPF 30 is is not all natural, with lots of chemical names only a lab technician would recognize. (And it is not for kids under 6.) But it's oil-free and has aloe vera and three vitamins in it.

This is a handy item to take along anywhere you need to protect yourself from both the sun and insects, especially in the tropics. The SmartShield "no bugs no burn" towelettes retail for $14 for a pack of 18, but the individually wrapped ones are about a buck apiece. More economical is the combo spray, which is $8 for 2 ounces (TSA friendly size). See more about them at http://www.smartshield.com/.

Pen-sized Hand Sanitizer

I'm as game as the next guy for making fun of those travelers who load up on hand sanitizer for a trip, as if there are somehow 10 times more germs abroad than at home. (The germophobe gets a starring role in the new Nim's Island movie, with an ongoing Purell product placement via Jodie Foster.)

As a parent though, I know there are times when your kid is carrying a whole petri dish of stuff on his/her hands. But then it's time to eat the airplane or food stall snack, with no sink and soap in sight.

This cool little hand sanitizing spray device from CVS lets you kill all the germs without loading up your bag or worrying about the 3-ounce carry on rules. It's the size of a large ink pen and has all of 0.17 ounces (5ml) in it. The protective top even has a clip for hooking it to a pocket. Pull the top off and there's a little spray nozzle. No mess before or after.

This mini hand sanitizing spray fits into a purse or pocket easily so you can keep it handy in flight or while on the move. It retails for a mere $1.79 at their stores, so this is one gadget impulse buy that you won't regret later.

Small Retractable Cable Lock

A long while back in this blog I pointed to a retractable cable lock as an essential piece of gear for any long-term traveler. The Lewis & Clark one I had used for about a dozen long trips finally croaked at the end of last year and I snagged one of these much smaller retractable cable locks from an old standby: Master Lock.

It was only eight bucks, so I was not expecting much really. Half the size of my old one and half the price. That may be normal for computers, but it doesnt usually work that way with simple hardware. This cable lock is an exception. It shrinks by giving you 2 feet of cable instead of 3, but otherwise it is just as well made and rugged. So the question is, do you need 3 feet of cable or would you rather have more space?

My vote would be taking the larger models out there if you are traveling as a couple and sometimes need to lock two backpacks to a bulky chair or bedpost. Buy the smaller one if you are on your own. At this price, for something this light, you truly can't go wrong taking one along for security.

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Microfiber Compression Socks for a Long Flight

I never used to take this foot swelling, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) thing too seriously until one time when I wore a pair of Skechers velcro wraparound sandals on the plane and my ankles hurt for a week afterward from bruising. My feet had swelled up a size or two but the straps hadn't.

So I don't do that anymore and I make sure I keep my legs and feet moving around. Not easy to do when you're on a long coach flight across an ocean though, which is where these compression socks from Ames Walker come in. To reduce the risk of blood clots, these socks decrease pressure from the ankle to the knee, keeping blood from pooling and forcing it to the leg's deep veins. They improve circulation and reduce swelling by applying more pressure at the bottom than the top.

I haven't taken these on a flight yet, but definitely will on my next long one. I did wear them around for an afternoon and although I looked like a Miami retiree when I put them on, nobody was the wiser when I had pants on. They did feel very different than normal socks and I got the sensation like I was getting a bit of a massage.

So if you're going on a long flight and aren't fortunate enough to score business class, these microfiber compression socks can help you avoid "economy class syndrome." Although the elderly and those with circulation problems are most at risk for DVT, plenty of younger people in good health have gotten clots as well. Be safe on that long haul flight to distant lands, or buy these for a friend or relative who takes business trips a lot. They list for $17 to $20 usually, but are often marked down quite a bit from that. Buy them direct at Ames Walker or get them at Amazon.

All Terrain Money Belt from Eagle Creek

If you want to keep your money from falling into the sticky hands of a thief while traveling, the best bet is to keep your cash where it can't be grabbed. For 16 years I've been using some kind of money belt from Eagle Creek to do that and so far the most I've ever lost to a pickpocket is 80 rupees. (A shade over $2.)

This isn't what you want to be digging in and out of while you're shopping in the market. Instead think of it as the place where you keep your back-up cash you don't need to have handy. I've walked around for weeks with $500 in one of these belts and nobody has been the wiser. You wouldn't know that there's a secret pocket on the back unless you saw the other side of the belt when it's not being worn.

The All Terrain Belt is naturally a double-duty item: it's a real belt after all. It holds your pants or shorts up as well as any other and this particular one dispenses with belt loops so it'll keep fitting well while you shed pounds backpacking around the world. One more bonus: there's no metal on it except the zipper. You can usually go through airport security without taking it off.

The Eagle Creek All Terrain Money belt is available for $15 at Magellan's, REI.com, and at EagleCreek.com.

If you travel more on business, you can also get a nicer looking leather one from $15 to $25 at BeltOutlet.com: Leather Money Belt by Austin House

SuddenStop for Your Car

While many people worry about flying or traveling abroad, it's the trip to the local grocery store in your car that's far more likely to get you killed or injured. Although our cars have gotten safer, our drivers haven't, especially when you add in the distractions of mobile phones, crackberries, iPod's hooked up to the stereo, and idiots doing text messaging.

Here's a simple solution that could save your bumper and your forehead: the SuddenStop license plate frame. When you slam on your brakes, it flashes, which should wake up the driver behind you and give them precious extra milliseconds to stop. (Just .25 seconds equates to 20 feet of stopping distance.) This is a simple and inexpensive device that requires no wiring to work. You just remove the screws from your license plate, put this under the plate, then screw it back in. It just "knows" when you've suddenly stopped and it flashes with long-use LED lights.


I got a sample one in the mail last week and gave it a whirl over the weekend. I'm happy to report it works, so hopefully now I've got a better chance of not being rear-ended by a chatty soccer mom in the SUV behind me.

The SuddenStop retails for $29.95 and you can buy it at their website or at auto parts retailers like Pep Boys. You may want to measure your license plate space before ripping open the packaging though. This fit on my car fine, but not in the indented enclosure of my wife's Mazda 626.